Ribbon mechanism for type-writing machines.



C. S. NICKERSON. RIBBON MECHANISM TYPE WRITING MACHINES. APPLICATION FILED snrinzs, 190a. RENEWED NOV. 13, 1911.

1,012,094, Patented Dec.19,1911.

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C. NICKERSON. RIBBON MECHANISM FOR TYI'E WRITING MACHINES. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 2a, 1908. RENEWED NOV.13, 1911.

1,012,094. Patented Dec. 19,1911.

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RIBBON MECHANISM FOR TYPE WRITING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.28, 190B. RENEWED NOV. 13. 1911. 1,01 2,094.

T 1% 9 1% 8 DE dw m n flu t a DL G. S. NIGKERSON. RIBBON MECHANISM r011 TYPE WRITING MACHINES. APPLIOATION FILED SEPT.28, 1908. RENEWED NOV. 13, 1911.

1,012,094,, 1 1 Patented Dec. 19,1911.

221 1 (42156368.- flfiwelzwgr 559 1 ZwianX/{Zaeraqrz cHAnLEs's. NICKELRSON, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

RIBBON MECHANISM FOR TYPE-WRITING MACHINES.

Application filed September 28, 1908, Serial No. 455,147.

- To all whom it may concern." I

Be it'known that; I, CHARLES S. NICliER-' sort, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of'Chicago, in the county of Cook {,and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ribbon Mechanism for Type-'riting Machines: and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description tbereof, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, and toathe letters of reference marked thereon, specification.

This. invention relates to ribbon mechanism for typewriters and embraces improvements in means for giving movement to the which form a part of this ribbon and for maintaining, the ribbon under tell-Q1011 and at. a distance from the paper when at re t in order that the writing upon the paper will be visible tothe operator and to other details of construction iirsueh mechanism.

.Theinvention consists in the matters hereinafter set forth and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

A ribbon mechanism embracing my invention may be applied to typewriting machines of various forms. In the accompanying drawings such ribbon mechanism is illustrated in connection with a form of 'typewriting machine such as is set forth in .a separate application filed by me on the 7th day of May 1906, Serial Number 315,638. No reference is made herein to parts not'necessary to an understandin ol' the ribbon mechanism.

-In the said drawings:-I igure 1 is an elevation of the main parts of the machine as viewed from the right. F ig. 2 is an elevation'of the parts of the machine as viewed from the left. Fig. 3 is a plan view of a portion of thebaseplate of the machine. showing the driving gears and their connections, Fig. 4 is a plan view showing the type bar, ribbon, ribbon spools and platen. 1 Fig. 5 is a view taken upon line 5 :5 of

Fig. 2, showing in detail the gears of the ribbon mechanism.- Fig. 6 is a detail seetional view of one of the ribbon spools showing the means for connecting the same with its supporting shaft. Fig. 7 is a face view of a bracket, arm used for supponling parts of the mechanism.

As shown in the drawings, 1 indicates the platen of the machine which constitutes the. support sug a'inst which the paper rests in otal axes arranged vertically.

Specification of Letters Patent. Pafe i ed Dec. 19, 1911. Renewed November 13, 1911. 'Serial No. 660,163,

the operation of printing, and 2.2 indicate type bars which are arranged in two groups at opposite sides of the printing or imprcssion point of the platen andwith their pi'v- Said type bars-are attached to upright pivot rods 3. 3-which are mounted.in upper and lower segmental frame members 4 and 5 located tit-opposite sides of the machine. j

(i designates .a curved or segmentalrest for the type heads against which thesame bear when in their retracted positions. The type bars are operated froni-thekey levers 7, 7 of the machine by n'ieans of horizontal rock shafts 8 pivot ally supported in vertical supporting members 9, 9 which are secured at their upper and lower ends to upper and lower horizontal frame members -10 and 11 which extend'from front to rear of the machine at both sides of .the same. The 'rigid arms of the rock-shafts are connected with the key-levers by means of upright. rods 12 and by means. of horizontal rods 13 with the rigid arms on thepivot rods 3.

The platen illustrated constitutespart. of the paper supporting and actuating device shown in my application for patent hereinbe fore referred to. Said platen consists of a wheel or disk arranged horizmttallyqand turning on a vertical axis, said wheel or disk ha ving anarrow marginal or working face wide enough only to receive. the impression of one of the types on the type-heads. The

platen thus tlJllsli'lK'l'Gd is given vertical movement by a platen shift device which also gives vertical movement to the paper and which is so constructed that both the platen and paper have a rising and falling movement by which the narrow face of the platen is brought into position for contact t-lmrewith of one or the other vertically spaced types with which each of the several lype' heads is provided. In the papersupporting and actuating device shown in the drawings, moreover, the sheetof paper is held or ctmlined between two stationary, parallel guide plates 14 and 15, the plate 1+ having: the forn'i of a segment of an up: right t- \'lll 1(l(.'l' and the guide plate 15 being, cylindrie in shape and located at the front of and concentric to the guide plate 14, in such a iuanuer that the paper is caused to move in a curved path between the concave face of the plate l4 and the adjacent convex face ofthe plate 15. The paper sup- Wiener...

within the cylinder 14 and adapted to be turned step-by-step for letter spacing through the medium'of ana'ctuatin g spring controlled by an escapement mechanism.

The drawings illustrate parts of the de 15 vice shown in the application above referred to for giving vertical and oscillatory movement to the paper supporting segment 16 and for vertically shifting-the platen 1 as required for printing from either one of the 20 types on the type-heads, and also for giving line space movement to the segment 16 and the 'sheet held thereby, but inasmuch as these parts are fully described and illustrated in the said prior application and con- -stitute no part of this invention they "need not be more fully herein described.

The ribbon spools indicated by 20 and 21 are located at opposite sides of the paper guide plate 14 and are mounted'on the u per ends of upright, rotative 'spool sha ts 23 and 24. The spool 20 which is located at the left hand side of the machine is rotated by the turning of its shaft 23 to effect the winding thereon of the ribbon 22 as it is fed across the face of the platen and the turning of the spool 21, at the right hand side of the machine, in the unwinding of. the ribbon therefrom is controlled by a geared connection of its shaft 24 with the letterspacing devices of the machine, as hereinafter described. The spool shafts 23 and 24 are supported at their ends in bearings car.-

ried by upper and lower horizontal frame members 10 and 11 extending from front to rear of the machine at each side of the same. their forward ends to a front frame plate 25 and at their rear' ends to the guide plate 15 which is attached to and rises from the'base plate '26 of the machine.

In order to feed or move the ribbon 22 past the printing point and to maintain the same under tension, means are provided for turnin or rotating the left handspool shaft 23 as follo ws: Said shaft 23 has bearing at its upper end in the adjacent upper frame member 10 and at its lower end in a laterally projectin lug 27 on the lower frame member 11. ecured tosaid shaft 23 near the lower end thereof is ,a gear wheel 30 which is adapted to mesh with. a gear wheel 31 carriedfupon a tubular upright shaft 32 which is rotatively mounted .upon a tension shaft 33; said shaft 33 being -journaled at its uppeer and lower ends in' the frame members by retain the spring under tension.

Said frame members are attached at.

10 and 11. Surrounding the tubular shaft 32 and attached at its lower end to the gear wheel 31 upon the said shaft is a helical spring-34.. At its upper end the said springis secured to a'collar '35 which is attached to. the upper end of the tension shaft 33 .below the frame member 11. Said tension shaft 33 is adapted to be adjustably turned to vary the tension of the said spring, which acts through the gear wheel 31 upon the tubular shaft 32 and the ear wheel 30 toturn said spool shaft 23 in a direction to" wind the ribbon upon the spool 20. The tension of the'helical spring 34 is adjusted by means of a vertically arranged short adjusting shaft'38 which is journaled at its. lower endin the horizontal frame member 11, andis provided at its upper .end with a, knurled knob or head. The said shaft provided at its lower end with a gear wheel 35 39-which meshes with 'a gear wheel 4( carried upon the said tension shaft 33 near the lower end thereof andby means of which a the said tension shaft may be rotated to increase or decrease the tension of the helical 9o spring 34. Pivotally' supported upon a bracket arm 41 upon the horizontal frame member '11 and engaging the teeth of the gear wheel 40 upon the tension shaft 33 is a holding pawl 42 which is adapted to lock the said shaft 33 from turning and to tbs};-

e said pawl 42 is extended to provide a finger lever 43 by means of which the pawl may be disengaged from the gear wheel 34 for the purpose of permitting the shaft 33 to rotate to decrease the tension in the spring 34 when desired. The upper end of the shaft 38 'is journaled in a bracket arm 45 (Fig. 7) which is enlar ed near its central portion to surround the sprin 34 and is supported by means of two collars 46, 46 secured to the shaft 23.

The right hand spool shaft 24, carrying the-spool 21 from which the ribbon 22 is unwound or fed to the spool 20, is journaled at its upper end in the upper right hand horizontal framemember 10. At its lower end the said shaft isjournaled in a horizontally arranged sliding bar 51 (Fig. 5) adaptedto afford lateral adjustment of the said lower end of said shaft. Said'bar 51 extends across the machine in front of the guide-plate 15 and is supported at its ends on the lower frame members 11 by bearings adapted .to permit endwise sliding movemnt of said bar. -Attach ed to the shaft 24 near the lower end thereof, is a gear whee 52 which normally meshes with a gear wheel 53 carried upon the upper end of a vertically arranged connecting shaft 54, the upper end of which is mounted in a bearing attached to the horizontal frame member 11. At its lower end the said shaft 54 is mounted in a bearing upon the horizontal base plate 1 3-3- 26 of the machine and is provided with a. gear wheel 55.. vThesaid gear wheel 55 is adapted to mesh with a gear pin-ion 57 -carried upon an upright 'stub-shaft 56 which is attachedyt-o and rises'froiu the horizontal base plate .JT of themachine. A larger gear wheel 58- is secured to the'gear pinion 57 and is adapt-ed to mesh with a gear wheel 59 constituting a part of the letter-spacing mechanism of the machine and .by means. of which the shaft 56-is rotated step-by-step to permit the unwinding of the ribbon from the spool 21. The. mechanism for actuating said gear wheel 59 is located adjacent to the 'base' plateof the machine and is associated -with the escape-mechanism by which the turning of the segment 16, the shaft 17 and the shaft 18, for letter-spacing is controlled.

' The actuating spring throughwhich letterspacing movement is given to the paper op crates on the shaft 18, to which is attached an oscillating segment 60. Said gear segment 60 meshes with a gear segment 61 attached to an upright shaft 62 arranged forward of the shaft 18. Thegear wheel 59 is mounted just above the base plate 27 concentrically with the shaft 62. Said gearsegment is provided with aforwardly pro jecting arm which carries .-a pawl 63. Said pawl, in the oscillatory movement of the gear segment, acts on a ratchet wheel 64 mounted concentrically with the shaft, 62- and attached to the gear wheel '59 above the latter. The turning of the shaft 18 under the action of the actuating spring is controlled by escape wheels 65, 65 (only one of which is shown) mounted upon an upright shaft 66 provided with a gear pinion 67 which intermeshes with the gear wheel 59. The said escape wheels are engaged by pawls (one of which is shown at (38 Fig. 3) which are carried by a. rock-shaft G9 controlled by the key levers of the machine.

The foregoing mechanism is substantially the same as that which is fully illustrated and described in my application"hereinbefore referred to and need not be herein more fully described, .except to. state that the ratchet wheel 64 and the gear wheel 59 are turned or carried with the gear segment 61 in the advance or letter-spacing movementof said gear segment-,b'ut have no movement 21 being taken 'up' and held tension by the action of the helical spring hlupon the shaft 23 carrying the spool 2 with a crank 72.

For .rewinding the ribbon 22 upon the spool 21 there is provided a horizontal crank shaft 70 (Fig. 1) which is rotatively mounted in abracket arm 71 secured tothe right hand horizontal frame member 11 adjacent to the shaft 24. and is provided at its outer end. The said crank shaft'70 is provided on its inner-end with a ear wheel 73. Said gear'whe'el is adapted to mesh with a gear wheel 77 Cfll'llCdUPOIl a horizontal stub-shaft 74 mounted upon the brackeTtTl between the ends thereof. Upon the said shaft Tal is a bevel gear wheel 75 which is adjacent to but normally out of engage'mei'it. with a bevel, gear 76 carried upon the shaft 21 above the gear wheel 52 thereon. The saidbevel gears 75 and 76 are adapted to be shifted into engagement with each other by cndwise movement of the sliding bar 51 upon which the lower end of the shaft 24 is supported. By shifting said bar. 51 endwise the lower end of the shaft 24 may be moved'laterally to bring the gears 52 and 76 on said shaft into and out of mesh with thegcars and '-A coiled tensional spring 78, which is attached at one end to the horizontal frame member 11 adjacent to the shaft 23 and at its other end to the sliding bar 51, acts to hold said bar normally in position to maintain the gears and in mesh with each other.

The rewinding of the ribbon upon the spool 21 rotates'the shaft 23 in a direction to put the; helical spring 34 under tcnsion' For 'detachably securing the ribbon spools 20 and 21'to the spool shafts and 94, each spool is provided with a central aperture to receive the upper end of the shaft, and the shaft is provided with a leaf spring .sccured at its lower end to the shaft and bent outwardly between its ends to engage a slot formed in the central aperture of the spool. The spring thus arranged holds the spool from turning on the shaft and by its frictional engagement with the spool retains the latter upon the shaft.

In order to retain the helical spring 34 under tension when the spool is removed from the shaft 23. the said shaft is provided with a downwardly facing crown ratchet- 80 (Fig. 2) which is rigidly secured thereto and located belowlhe left'hnnd horizontal frame member 10. Pivotally supported upon the said horizontal frame member 10 is a horizontally arranged detent arm 81; the swinging end of which is adapted to bear upwardly against the lower surface.

of the spool 20 and is provided with a depending arm, the 'lower end of which is provided with a pawl or detent 82' (Fi 2)' which extends beneath and is adaptcd' to engage the crown ratchet 80. A leaf spring 83 secured to the horizontal frame memberand bearing u wardly. against the lever 81 acts to presst e said lever upwardly to bring the pawl 82 into engagement with the teeth of the crown ratchet 80 when the spool 20 is removed from its shaft. When the spool is applied to the'shaft, the lever 81 is depressed and its pawl 82 held below'and free'from the crown ratchet, leaving the spool shaft free to rotate under theaction of the .Ihelical spring 34.

I claim a's'my 1nvention:+

- 1. The combinationwith a spring actuated part through. the medium of which letter-space movement is' given to the paper,

' and-an escape mechanism by which step-bystep movement is given to said spring actuated part for letter-spacing, of two ribbon spools, a spring acting on one of said spools "to rotate the same for winding .the r bbon thereon, and an operative connection be tween the other spool and said spring-actuated part acting to permit step-by-step rotation of the same under the tension of the ribbon to corres 0nd with thestep-by-step movement of d spring-actuated part.

2. A ribbon mechanism for, typewriting machines, comprising two ribbon spools, rotative shafts on which said spools are mounted, a spring-acting on one of said shafts, to give rotative movementto the same, a gear wheel which has rotative movement in one direction-to correspond with the letter-spacing movement of the machine, and gearing connecting said gear wheel with the other of said spool shafts.

3. Ina ribbon mechanism for typewrit-ing machines, embracing two ribbon spools,

spool shafts upon which said ribbon spools" are mounted, a coiled springacting on. one of said shafts to give rotative movement to the same, tension controlling means between one endcf said spring and the machine frame for adjusting thetension of said spring, and means connecting the 7 other spool shaft with one of the moving parts of the machine to control the rotation of the last named spool shaft.

4. ribbon mechanism for typewriting machines, comprising two ribbon spools, two

rot'ative spool shafts on which the same are mounted, a tension shaft arranged parallel with one of said spool shafts, a sleeve mounted on said tension shaft, a coiled s rin surroundin said sleeve said s rin being attached at. one .end to. said tension shaft and at its other end to said sleeve,

interme'shing'geari wheels on the said sleeve and theadjacent spool shaft, and means for controlling the rotation of the other spool shaft. Y

,5. ,A ribbon mechanism for typewriting machines, comprising a ribbon spool,'a ro-' qtative shaft on which the same is inounted, ,a tension shaft arranged parallel with oneof said spool shafts, a sleeve mounted on said tension shaft, a helical spring sur-l rounding said sleeve, said spring being at tached at one end to said tension shaft and.

at its other end to said sleeve, intermeshin gear wheels on the said sleeve and the spoo shaft, and means forefli'ecting rotativef adjustment of said tension-shaft to vary the tension of the said spring.

6. A ribbon mechanism for typewritin machines comprising a ribbon spool, a spoo l shaft on which the same is mounted, a tension-sha'ft parallel with said spool shaft, a sleeve mounted to turn on said tensionshaft, a helical spring surrounding said sleeve, said spring being attachedat one end to said tension-shaft and at the other end .to said sleeve, intermeshing gear wheels on said sleeve and on the spool shaft, intermcshing gear wheels on the tension-shaft and spool shaft, and means for locking the tension shaft in its adjusted position.

7. ribbon mechanism for typewriting machines comprising two ribbon spools, two spool shafts on which the same are supported, a spring acting on one of said shafts to give rotativc movement to the same, a gear wheel having step-by-step rotative movement controlled by the letter-spacing mechanism of the machine, gearing 'connecting said gear wheel with the other spool shaft, embracing means for disconnecting said gearing therefrom, and a crank shaft having detachable geared connection with said last named spool shaft, whereby the latter may be turned for windingback the ribbon. y

8. A' ribbon mechanism for typewriting machines, comprising two ribbon spools, tw'o upright s 001 shafts, in the upper end of which sai spools are mounted, a spring acting on one of said spool shafts to give ro-- tative motion to the same, a gear wheel having step-by-step rotative movement controlled by the letter-spacing mechanism of the machine, a horizontally slid-ing bar in which the lower end of the other spool shaft is mounted, and a gear-wheel on said last named spool shaft adapted to be thrown into and out of mesh with said first named gear wheel by the shifting of the lower end of the said spool shaft.

9. A ribbon mechanism for' typewriting machines comprising two ribbon spools, twothe shifting of the lower end of the said spool shaft, a crank-shaft on the machine frame, and gearing for connecting said crankshaft with the last named spool shaft, embracing gear wheels which are thrown into and out of mesh with each other by the shifting of the lower end of the spool shaft.

10. A ribbon mechanism for typewriting machines, comprising two ribbon spools, two spool shafts upon which the same are mounted, a spring acting on one of said shafts to give rotative movement to the same, a gearwheel on the machine frame having step-bystep rotative movement controlled by the letter-spacing mechanism of the machine, a horizontal sliding bar in which the lower end of the other spool is mounted, a gear wheel mounted on the lower end of the last. named spool shaft and adapted to intermesh" with said gear wheel on the machine frame, intermeshing bevel-gears, one mounted on said last named spool shaft and the other on the machine frame, a crank shaft having geared connection with said bevel wheel on the frame, said. last named spool shaft being adapted to be moved by the shifting of said sliding bar to bring the gear wheels on the machine frame and spool shaft into and out of mesh with each other.

11. A ribbon mechan sm for typewriting machines comprising two ribbon spools, two upright spool shafts on which the same are mounted, a spring acting on one of said spool shafts to give rotative movement to the same, a horizontally arranged gear wheel on the machine frame having ste p-by-step rotative movement controlled by the letters spacing mechanism of the machine, an upright connecting shaft mounted in the machine frame, a gear pinion on the lower end of said upright shaft, intermcshing with said horizontally arranged gear-wheel, intel-meshing gear wheels on the lower end of the other spool shaft and the upper end of said connecting shaft, and a horizontall sliding bar in which the lower end of the last named spool shaft has bearing and which is adapted to be shifted to bring the the gear-wheels on the connecting shaft and spool shaft into and out of mesh with each other.

12. A ribbon mechanism for typewriting machines comprising two ribbon spools, two upright spool shafts on which the same are mounted, a spring acting on one of said spool shafts to give rotati-ve movement to same, a horizontally arranged gearwheel on the machine frame having step-bystep rotatiye movement controlled by the letter-spacing mechanism of the machine, an upright connecting shaft mounted in the machine frame, a gearpinion on the lower end of said upright shaft, intermeshing with said horizontally arranged gear Wheel, inter-meshing gear wheels on the lower end of the other spool shaft and the upper end of said connecting shaft, a horizontally sliding bar in which the lower end of the last named spool shaft has bearing and which is adapted to be shifted to bring the gear wheels on the connecting shaft and spool shaft into and out of mesh with each other,

and a spring acting on' said sliding bar to hold the last named gear wheels normally in. mesh with each other.

13. A. ribbon mechanism for typewriting machines, comprising a ribbon spool, a rotative shaft on which said spool is detachably mounted, a spring acting on said shaft to give rotative motion to the same, a ratchet wheel on said shaft, and a sprin actuated detent on the machine frame, a apted for engagement with said ratchet wheel when the ribbon spool is removed from said shaft and to be held away from the ratchet wheel by the pressure of the spool when the latterin place on the shaft.

In-testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention I allix my signature in the presence of two witnesses, this 23d day of September A. D. 1908.

CHARLES S. NICKERSON. Witnesses i C. CLARENCE POOLE, Gnonon R. lVILKINs. 

